Greatest Enviromental Disaster

Mr. CAO. Mr. Speaker, the greatest environmental disaster in history is unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil spill has damaged the shoreline of the gulf coast and my home State of Louisiana.

Each day I receive from the State this report listing the affected shoreline. I have visited many of the places, and to Louisianans and my family, it reads like a list of old friends.

You can't really understand the impact of this disaster until you hear the names associated with the 103 miles of Louisiana shoreline that already have been affected.

This includes the Chandeleur Island, Breton Island, South Pass, South West Pass, Whiskey Island, Trinity Island, East Island, Raccoon Island, Port Fourchon, Grand Isle, Elmer's Island, Brush Island, Pass a Loutre, Marsh Island, Timbalier Islands, Lake Raccourci, Pilot Bayou, Isle Grande Terre, Devil's Bay, Lake Felicity, Cheniere au Tigre, Pilot Bay, Timbalier Bay, Bay Ronquille, Casse Tete, Vermillion Bay, Bay Batiste, Bay Long, Lake Barre, Blind Bay, Calumet Island, Barataria Bay, Bastian Island Grande Ecaille, Wilkinson Bay Marsh.

This disaster is bigger than anything we have ever seen before. I call upon my colleagues and the Nation to maintain our attention on swift response and recovery and to hold the responsible parties accountable.

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